{"product_id":"the-kural-isbn-9780807003619","title":"The Kural","description":"\u003cb\u003eA new translation of the classical Tamil masterpiece on ethics, power, and friendship, bringing Tiruvalluvar’s poetry and philosophy to a new generation seeking practical wisdom and spiritual sustenance\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDrawing on the poetic tradition of W. S. Merwin, Wendell Berry, and William Carlos Williams, and nurtured by 2 decades of study under Tamil scholar Dr. K. V. Ramakoti, this new translation of the \u003ci\u003eKural\u003c\/i\u003e by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma brings English readers closer than ever to the brilliant inner and outer music of Tiruvalluvar’s work and ideas.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTiruvalluvar’s \u003ci\u003eTirukkural\u003c\/i\u003e is a masterwork of poetry and practical philosophy. On par with other world classics such as the \u003ci\u003eTao Te Ching\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eKural\u003c\/i\u003e is a compendium of 1,330 short philosophical verses, or kurals, that together cover a wide range of personal and cosmic experience, such as—\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePOLITICS:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eHarsh rule that brings idiots together—nothing\u003cbr\u003eBurdens the earth more\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHOSPITALITY:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe life that cherishes strangers each day\u003cbr\u003eNever falls upon ruin\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFRIENDSHIP:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eFriendship is not a face smiling—friendship\u003cbr\u003eIs a heart that smiles\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGREED:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThose who won’t give and enjoy—even with billions\u003cbr\u003eThey have nothing\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAccompanying the translation is a foreword by the founder of the Institute for Sacred Activism, Andrew Harvey; an introduction by the translator and scholar Archana Venkatesan; and a “Commentary of Notes,” in which Pruiksma elucidates key words and shares insights from important Tamil commentaries.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRich with indelible wordplay, learning, and heart, Pruiksma’s translation transforms the barrier of language into a bridge, bringing the fullness of Tiruvalluvar’s poetic intensity to a new generation.Foreword \u003ci\u003eby Andrew Harvey\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction \u003ci\u003eby Archana Venkatesan\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHERISHING GUESTS\u003cbr\u003e A Translator’s Preface to Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART ONE: VIRTUE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI. INTRODUCTION\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1. In Praise of God\u003cbr\u003e2. The Glory of Rain\u003cbr\u003e3. The Greatness of Letting Go\u003cbr\u003e4. The Imperative of Right Action\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eII. HOUSEHOLDING\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5. The Home Life\u003cbr\u003e6. In Praise of One’s Life Companion\u003cbr\u003e7. Having Children\u003cbr\u003e8. Having Love\u003cbr\u003e9. Hospitality\u003cbr\u003e10. Sweet Speech\u003cbr\u003e11. Gratitude\u003cbr\u003e12. Fairness\u003cbr\u003e13. Self-Control\u003cbr\u003e14. The Possession of Conduct\u003cbr\u003e15. Fidelity\u003cbr\u003e16. Forbearance\u003cbr\u003e17. Freedom from Envy\u003cbr\u003e18. Freedom from Greed\u003cbr\u003e19. Freedom from Backbiting\u003cbr\u003e20. Freedom from Fruitless Speech\u003cbr\u003e21. Fear of Wrongdoing\u003cbr\u003e22. Knowing What Is Fitting\u003cbr\u003e23. Giving\u003cbr\u003e24. Renown\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIII. RENUNCIATION\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e25. Compassion\u003cbr\u003e26. Refusing Meat\u003cbr\u003e27. Tavam\u003cbr\u003e28. Unworthy Conduct\u003cbr\u003e29. Freedom from Stealing\u003cbr\u003e30. Truth\u003cbr\u003e31. Freedom from Anger\u003cbr\u003e32. Doing No Harm\u003cbr\u003e33. Freedom from Killing\u003cbr\u003e34. Impermanence\u003cbr\u003e35. Renunciation\u003cbr\u003e36. Knowing What Is Real\u003cbr\u003e37. Severing from Desire\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIV. FATE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e38. Fate\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART TWO: WEALTH\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI. SOVEREIGNTY\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e39. The Splendor of Kings\u003cbr\u003e40. Learning\u003cbr\u003e41. Lack of Learning\u003cbr\u003e42. Listening\u003cbr\u003e43. The Possession of Knowledge\u003cbr\u003e44. Elimination of Faults\u003cbr\u003e45. Gaining the Help of the Great\u003cbr\u003e46. Freedom from Smallness\u003cbr\u003e47. Clarity Before Action\u003cbr\u003e48. Knowing Strength\u003cbr\u003e49. Knowing Time\u003cbr\u003e50. Knowing Place\u003cbr\u003e51. Knowing and Trusting\u003cbr\u003e52. Knowing and Engaging\u003cbr\u003e53. Kindness to Kindred\u003cbr\u003e54. Absence of Mind\u003cbr\u003e55. Good Rule\u003cbr\u003e56. Harsh Rule\u003cbr\u003e57. Striking No Fear\u003cbr\u003e58. Eyes That Are Moved\u003cbr\u003e59. Espionage\u003cbr\u003e60. Having Energy\u003cbr\u003e61. Freedom from Sloth\u003cbr\u003e62. Mastery of Action\u003cbr\u003e63. Not Being Defeated by Adversity\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eII. THE ARMS OF GOVERNMENT\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e64. Ministers\u003cbr\u003e65. Strength in Speech\u003cbr\u003e66. Purity of Action\u003cbr\u003e67. Firmness of Action\u003cbr\u003e68. Ways of Action\u003cbr\u003e69. Diplomacy\u003cbr\u003e70. Moving with Kings\u003cbr\u003e71. Reading Faces\u003cbr\u003e72. Knowing an Audience\u003cbr\u003e73. Not Fearing an Audience\u003cbr\u003e74. Country\u003cbr\u003e75. Fortresses\u003cbr\u003e76. The Making of Wealth\u003cbr\u003e77. The Splendor of Armies\u003cbr\u003e78. The Valor of Warriors\u003cbr\u003e79. Friendship\u003cbr\u003e80. Examined Friendship\u003cbr\u003e81. Long Friendship\u003cbr\u003e82. Harmful Friendship\u003cbr\u003e83. False Friendship\u003cbr\u003e84. Folly\u003cbr\u003e85. Presumption\u003cbr\u003e86. Discord\u003cbr\u003e87. Splendor for Enemies\u003cbr\u003e88. Knowing an Enemy\u003cbr\u003e89. Enemies Within\u003cbr\u003e90. Not Scorning the Great\u003cbr\u003e91. Yielding to Wives\u003cbr\u003e92. Limitless Women\u003cbr\u003e93. Not Drinking\u003cbr\u003e94. Dice\u003cbr\u003e95. Medicine\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIII. ALL ELSE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e96. Lineage\u003cbr\u003e97. Honor\u003cbr\u003e98. Greatness\u003cbr\u003e99. Integrity\u003cbr\u003e100. Having Kindness\u003cbr\u003e101. Fruitless Wealth\u003cbr\u003e102. Having Modesty\u003cbr\u003e103. Serving Family\u003cbr\u003e104. Farming\u003cbr\u003e105. Want\u003cbr\u003e106. Begging\u003cbr\u003e107. Dread of Begging\u003cbr\u003e108. Wickedness\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART THREE: LOVE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI. SECRET LOVE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e109. Allure\u003cbr\u003e110. Knowing Signs\u003cbr\u003e111. The Joys of Joining\u003cbr\u003e112. In Praise of Her\u003cbr\u003e113. In Praise of Love\u003cbr\u003e114. Down with Decorum\u003cbr\u003e115. Talk\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eII. WEDDED LOVE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e116. Unbearable Absence\u003cbr\u003e117. Pining Away\u003cbr\u003e118. The Longings of Eyes\u003cbr\u003e119. Pallor\u003cbr\u003e120. The Anguish of Solitude\u003cbr\u003e121. The Longing of Memory\u003cbr\u003e122. Talk of Dreams\u003cbr\u003e123. The Misery of Evening\u003cbr\u003e124. The Drooping of Limbs\u003cbr\u003e125. To Her Heart\u003cbr\u003e126. Loss of Restraint\u003cbr\u003e127. Longing to Reunite\u003cbr\u003e128. Making Signs Known\u003cbr\u003e129. Longing for Union\u003cbr\u003e130. At Odds with One’s Heart\u003cbr\u003e131. Sulking\u003cbr\u003e132. Sulking’s Subtleties\u003cbr\u003e133. Sulking and Bliss\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A Commentary of Notes\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgments\"To   translate even a single kural couplet, bewitching in its rhythm and packed   with meaning, is a formidable task. But we now have Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma’s   translation, without doubt the best ever into English.\"\u003cbr\u003e—David Shulman, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An intriguing new translation of this magnum opus.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eKajal Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“In the astonishingly fresh and vibrant translations that adorn this book, Tiruvalluvar’s voice can now reach the universal audience that so deeply needs its universal wisdom.”\u003cbr\u003e—Andrew Harvey, from the Foreword\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This translation provides a refreshing remembrance and illustration (without the usual reprimands and dire warnings) of how to be a good steward of the planet and what it means to live a good life—a much-needed map of astonishingly humane guidance and care.”\u003cbr\u003e—Aimee Nezhukumatathil, author of \u003ci\u003eWorld of Wonders\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[An] exquisite translation . . . To live as the wise Kuṟaḷ advises us to—in a state of chronic, cultivated empathy and in service of others—is indeed to live right and to live well.”\u003cbr\u003e—Archana Venkatesan, from the Introduction\u003cb\u003eThomas Hitoshi Pruiksma\u003c\/b\u003e is an author, poet, performer, and teacher. His books include \u003ci\u003eThe Safety of Edges\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eGive, Eat, and Live: Poems of Avvaiyar\u003c\/i\u003e. Pruiksma teaches writing for Cozy Grammar and has received grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, 4Culture, Artist Trust, the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, the US Fulbright Program, the American Literary Translators Association, and Oberlin Shansi.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndrew Harvey\u003c\/b\u003e is an internationally acclaimed poet, novelist, translator, mystical scholar, and spiritual teacher.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eArchana Venkatesan\u003c\/b\u003e is professor of religious studies and comparative literature at the University of California.A new translation of the classical Tamil masterpiece on ethics, power, and love","brand":"Beacon Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300546498789,"sku":"NP9780807003619","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780807003619.jpg?v=1767740084","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-kural-isbn-9780807003619","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}